Known in China and elsewhere mainly for being the younger brother of the 43rd president of U.S. and the son of the 41st, Neil Bush is by no means the most famous American user of Sina's Corp.'s Weibo microblogging service.
On Monday, however, few were generating more buzz.
The reason: A photo posted to his verified Weibo account of the younger Bush decked out in a green cap with a red star and a 'Serve the People' shoulder bag, flashing a grin as he displays a tin Mao Zedong mug.
'I'm thinking of joining the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. What do you think of my accessories?' read a message, written in both English and Chinese, accompanying the photo.
The post was forwarded more than 3,000 times and had attracted roughly 1,600 comments in its first six hours.
Mr. Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, is remembered fondly in China from his stint as chief U.S. liaison officer in Beijing in the 1970s. But affinity for the Bush family appears to account for only a fraction the posts' popularity. Instead, Weibo users appeared more interested in using the post as an opportunity to offer their own views on the party Mr. Bush jokingly said he wanted to join:
A few selected comments below (translated from Chinese except where indicated):
@UncleNiujileng: Your accessories do not qualify. These days the basic Communist Party gear is: Patek Philippe watch, Hermes wallet, Armani suit…
@LinYuntao: Lead the way to the glorious liberation of the United States!
@Highland (in English): Over qualified
@YourContentHasBeenScreened: Day doesn't understand the night's darkness
@DuskinPragueSquare (in English): awesome.
@SongFan svan (in English): You are not prepared!
@jiayi5001: Converting to our party ─ you've finally figured it out.
@JuneLyn2012 (in English): Take the CCP to USA, leave freedom here please.
@YishiChunqiu: Sure, this way the Bush family will understand what it really means to be an 'official.' Go be a village chief it'll feel even better than being president.
Some Weibo users slammed Mr. Bush for sporting Cultural Revolution-era clothing on a Chinese social media site, with a few likening it to dressing up in Nazi gear on Twitter. Others seemed confused as to whether Mr. Bush, who has had a long and lucrative history working with Chinese state-owned companies, was serious about wanting to join the party. Most, however, took it for a joke.
Among the more cutting remarks came from a Weibo user posting under the handle OldMadMonk who wrote in Chinese 'You have a future!!!' then followed up with a message in English [sic]: 'If you can join the CCP, you can embezzle, take bribe, solicite prostitutes or even rape child without or with very little punishment. You make the right choice.'
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